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Modified RPM
The Ritual Path Magic system (RPM) originally presented in Monster Hunters I, is modified to suit the setting. *More emphasis is added to the casting/weaving of the spell itself (which is originally resolved in a single casting). *Spells have 3 major components: **'Scope': How big the effect is. This is defined by things such as how long the spell lasts, how many people it affects, how much are it covers, etc. Basically things that make the spell feel/look "bigger". **'Complexity:' How complex the spell is. Making a fire bigger is much easier than creating one ex nihilo, which is turn is easier than creating a human-shaped bonfire that can walk around. **'Extension:' How much "weaving" is involved, that is, how much mana has to be woven to create the spell. So creating a massive bonfire requires that a big "knot" of mana be created. Creating several small bonfires over a wide area, on the other hand, requires that several smaller "knots" be created. Thus, a spell creating a single massive bonfire is less extensive than one creating many smaller bonfires. *Scope determines how much mana goes into the spell, and works just like the regular energy gathering rolls in RPM. *Complexity determines how difficult it is to weave the spell, which directly translates into modifiers to the Weaving rolls. *Extension determines how much work must be done (after the mana has already been gathered) in order to cast the spell. This translates into how many "weaving points" must be accumulated by the caster before the spell is ready. It uses a similar system to the gathering rolls, but uses other skills. Spell Effects Modifiers Here is a breakdown of the modifiers and how they fit under the changes listed above: *''Afflictions'' affects complexity *''Altered Traits'' affects complexity *''Area of Effect'' still affects scope *''Bestowing a Bonus or Penalty'' affects complexity *''Duration'' affects scope *''Damage affects '''scope' *''Extra Energy'' affects scope *''Healing'' is impossible *''Meta Magic'' is a special case *''Spacial Range is calculated as if it were a '''complexity' factor, but on its own (that is, use it as if it were the only complexity factor, and then add the modifier to the final result of the "real" complexity modifier) *Temporal Range uses the Long-Distance Modifiers (B241), applying the penalty directly to the casting roll(s). *''Speed'' affects scope for general movement, and complexity for teleportation. (teleportation also suffers from Range) *''Subject Weight'' affects Scope *das * Example Spells Ancient History *Spell Effects: Greater Sense Matter *Inherent Modifiers: None *Description: This spell cast on a inanimate object weighing no more than a 1,000 lbs gives you a general sense of the target's history over the span of 1 year. You might for instance learn about the owner's personality, any emotionally 'charged' events that might have happened with or near it, and so on. *Typical Casting: *Energy Cost (Scope): *Complexity Modifier (Complexity): *Shaping Points (Extension) Entirely new alternative! Create a new skill, let's call it Shaping. Spellcasting is divided between gathering and shaping. Spells' energy costs are divided between Mana Points and Shaping Points. Mana points are the energy that goes into the spell. Shaping points are the effort the mage has to do in order to shape that mana into the desired effect. The effects table, then, works as follows: Third Alternative! Basics *The Ritual Path Magic system (RPM) originally presented in Monster Hunters I, is modified to suit the setting. *More emphasis is added to the casting/weaving of the spell itself (which is originally resolved in a single casting). *Spells have 2 major components: **'Energy/Weaving:' How big the effect is. This is defined by things such as how long the spell lasts, how many people it affects, how much are it covers, etc. Basically things that make the spell feel/look "bigger". This affects the two rolls: casting and gathering. **'Complexity:' How complex the spell is. Making a fire bigger is much easier than creating one ex nihilo, which is turn is easier than creating a human-shaped bonfire that can walk around. This only affects the Casting Roll. Spellcasting Step 1 - Gathering Mana: In this step, the spellcaster gathers the mana required for that specific spell. He does it by rolling versus his Mana Gathering skill (Will/VH). For each roll, the caster accumulates an amount of mana equal to his success margin, to a minimum of 1 point. Each roll takes an amount of time determined by the caster's advantages. At every third attempt for a given spell, apply a cumulative -1 to skill (as ambient mana gets depleted, and the caster gets tired). At any time during the gathering, the caster may choose to draw mana from his own reservoir. This takes one second, regardless of the caster's advantages. It may also be done instantaneously by successfully rolling against Mana Gathering. Fourth Alternative! Basics *The Ritual Path Magic system (RPM) originally presented in Monster Hunters I, is modified to suit the setting. *More emphasis is added to the casting/weaving of the spell itself (which is originally resolved in a single casting). *Spellcasters (normal ones, not channelers) take a long time to gather the necessary amounts of mana. The shaping, though, is relatively quick.' THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS IT LEAVES OUT THE POSSIBILITY OF LONG ARCANE RITUALS, SOMETHING I RATHER LIKE.' *Differently from the original system, this version of the RPM doesn't require separate gathering skills for each "school". Mana gathering is handled by a single (yet unnamed) skill, which is Will/VH. *Mages can draw this energy from the environment, building a temporary pool of mana from which they can cast spells. *Spells may be cast immediately, or may be "hung". If hung, a spell is cast almost until completion, a final gesture and word being all that's necessary to unleash its energies. *Each spell is an individual technique under a School Skill. Schools are not the same as they are under the original system. *